Technology to use while you travel

Thomas Goddard December 15th, 2017

It is beneficial to have access to some technology when you travel. Much as there is a great draw to being able to get away from it all, there are some aspects of your life at home which can be useful to make the trip with you.

Don't discard everything, consider the benefits of some of the below areas.

Music Streaming Services

There are a number of music streaming services on offer in the UK. All offer much the same, in the availability of millions of songs, off-line playback, and the creation of user controlled playlists.

However, we can find some difference in the pricing. Now, you need to be signed up with Amazon Prime to get the benefit from this one, but if you are using that service, and want the addition of a music streaming service anyway, then this will likely be your best bet.

Amazon Music Unlimited has been available in the UK since November 2016, and offers ad-free music streaming, and you can listen offline too. The service offers the opportunity for a free 30-day trial, with a following payment of £79 to cover you for the entire year (this is the Amazon Prime price, so £7.99 per month, or the £79 is for 12 months, which is the best value you will find, for a none-student subscription). The standard price (i.e. for none Prime users) is £9.99 per month.

The Family Plan offers even better value. This shared subscription allows for up to six family members to share the same account, enabling individual accounts and personalised recommendations for each member. The price for this is £14.99 per month, or £149 per year, for Prime members.

E-Readers

Long gone are the days when you had to bring a multitude of books with you, on a trip. Instead, now, you can have all these books stored on one device and read at your leisure.

Be sure to consider the different available options when looking at e-readers, as there are a few, some with slight differences, others with bigger differences.

Display - Kindles have backlit features now, so the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Voyage allow for you to read the text relatively easily in all lighting conditions. This is a better choice the e-ink version, which can prove problematic reading when light availability is limited.

Connectivity - Price will differ here, but consider whether you can get by solely having a Wi-Fi connection on your Kindle (i.e. if you wanted to download a new book, you could connect to a network, either at your hotel, or when out-and-about) or whether a 3G connection would be more beneficial (most usefully if you are to be in an area with limited or no Wi-Fi connectivity). Personally, the 3G wins out here - despite the initial increased purchase price, there is no ongoing cost for 3G data useage, but you do have the added convenience of not requiring a Wi-Fi connection.

Tablets

Tablets are ideal for taking away with you. They are portable, can hold a high number of apps, and provide internet connectivity, which can help you to make the most of where you have visited. The iPad Mini is an ideal travel companion, due to its size, and works well for just about any use a tablet has. You can also store some music on there, use it for photos, and keep in contact with anyone back home.

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Thomas Goddard

Thomas is Expert with Points' travel writer, covering a variety of travel locations with handy guides on the must-see places on any trip.